Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128209
1 ... _: • .... - -1_ .f'I . . . . . . . . I • ...I.~- Happenings In Motorcycling ©ffJf? ©f?ffJ?!J2..L--_V_OO_o_ _ Former motocrosser Mike Young retumed to racing for the first time since suffering a spinal injury six and a half years ago. Young, founder of Big Gun Exhaust Systems, competed in a West Coast Pro Truck Series race at Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, California, on Saturday, April 5. Young, who started at the back of the 26-truck grid, worked his way up to finish ninth after the 50-lap race. His truck was custom built with hand controls for the throttle and the brake lever, which were combined on the left side of the steering wheel. He pretty much steered the whole race with his right arm. Team Mach l's Nick Wey (center), along with fellow Yamaha dirt bike pilots Chad Reed (left) and Heath Voss (right), took advantage of some time off following Thursday's THQ Supercross Series press day at the Silverdome and headed over to DaimlerChrysler Headquarters to test drive some high performance Dodge product. The trio got some seat time in the Dodge SRT-4 (pictured) as well as a Dodge Viper and a Dodge SRT-l0 pickup that sports the same SOO-horsepower Vl0 engine as the Viper. "Dude, that Viper is insane," said Wey. "And that SRT-4? Man, that thing's like a Honda Accord on crack!" When he's not racing on two wheels, Jeremy McGrath is racing on four wheels. The supercross icon will compete in the Toyota Celebrity race that will run in conjunction with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in Long Beach, California, April 12-13. By ALAN CATHCART • • Prepare for the Ministrada The imminent launch of Ducati's new Multistrada family of go-anywhere sportbikes, initially only in one-liter guise, powered by the I OOODS twin-spark desmodue V-twin motor, raises the question of whether the Bologna firm plans to expand the range to indude smaller-capacity versions, as with the 620 Sport and best-selling M620 Monster in other sectors. According to senior Ducati sources, the answer is a resounding yes. And it will happen sooner that you might expect, with a 620 Multistrada likely to debut at this year's Milan Show, in September. "We badly need a true, multipurpose entry-level model, in the way that a more focused stylebike product like the 620 Monster only partially succeeds in being,' said a senior executive with the Italian company. "A 620 Multlstrada could be a revolutionary product in terms of value for money and practicality mixed with enjoyment - a true all-rounder which isn't so performance-focused as the 1000DS will be. And though our engineering guys tell us the architecture of our engine's all wrong for off-road use [it didn't stop the Cagiva Elefant from defeating the Japanese factory teams to win the Parls-Dakarl], I'd still like to see us market a Supermoto-style model using the 620 Multistrada as a basis. This style of bike is becoming a significant product segment, especially for European brands like ours, with the rising cost of insurance for sportbikes and the increase in traffic cameras and speed traps. We could offer a really keenly priced bike that would be so much fun to ride, and we could have a one-make Supermoto series for it that would be low on cost to lake part in, but high on enjoyment. I'll be pushing hard to make it happen!" So, ducatisti, remember where you first heard about your V-twin desmo multipurpose Supermoto funbike... To cast your vote, log on to http://www.cgdenews.com. When all is said and done, which disci line do you think will produce the first AMA Red Bull Su ermoto Ctillmpion? A. Dirt Track B. Freestyle .~~===;::::T:;~~~~!:.:::: C. Motocross/Supercros"" D. Off-Road 6 APRIL 16, 2003' cue I e n e _ s Vahmtina Rossi ...•..•.........•..•.....46.88% [olin EdwBlds .......•.........•.. , ..... I I.D I % Nicky H.yden .......•............•..... 1D.QS% AI .. Borros _ .•.•..•..••.••..... 9.~ I % Loris [.plronl _ •.••.••..••..•.....6.35% Max Biaggi .............•..•............~.Di!!% Troy S.yllss .............•..•............3.Q9% Kenny Roberts Jr. ••.•••.••..•••.••••..•••2.65% Tohru Uk.w•............•..•............ 1.~7% John Hopkins ............•..•............D.9S% Norlyukl H.g •....•..••.•..••.••.••......D.7Q% [.rlos Checa , D.H% G.rry McCoy .....•......•..•..•..•......D.63% Dllijiro Kato .............•..•..•..•......0.5]% Andrew Pitt .............•..•..•..•....•.D.S3% Sete Glbernau ...........•.....•..•......D.21 % MarcD Melandri ..........•..•..•..•......0.1 1% Shlnya N.k.no ................•..•......D.I 1% Dllvler Jocque , D.I 1%